Ice Chips and Melted Smarties
by LillyMayFlower
Summary: With Holby in the midst of a heatwave and Lily working her final shifts before maternity leave, she and Ethan have more than a stuffy ED and a broken vending machine to contend with.


**I know I said I was finished with the AU that I created with The Power of Love, Demons and When Ties are Tested, but I've missed writing for those versions of the characters! I had this little idea for obvious reasons with the weather lately, and I hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

 _ _Although there is no official definition of a heatwave in the UK, the term can be used to describe an extended period of hot weather relative to the expected conditions of the area at that time of year__ ~ The Met Office

* * *

Ethan woke up in good time for his shift and, for once, he wasn't surprised to see that Lily had already vacated her side of the bed. Granted, she wasn't on shift until tomorrow, but the final trimester of pregnancy had not been kind to her usually-heavy sleeping habits. He sat up, rubbing his eyes, and noted that her summery cotton dressing gown was missing from its hook on the back of the door. This was probably a force of habit, rather than a necessity. It was already so warm; the clock had only just hit six-thirty. And that was with the windows thrown wide open.

He went downstairs quietly — Lily was obviously awake but there was no knowing whether Will was yet. Any extra sleep the toddler could gain would be a blessing, because the warm evenings meant he usually didn't fall asleep until much later than usual, much to the stress of his mother. In the kitchen, the radio was on, switched to Radio 2 as normal, but Lily was nowhere to be seen. The familiar, warm voice of Sara Cox filled the room as she informed the nation that despite the early hour, many areas across the UK were already seeing temperatures exceeding seventeen or eighteen degrees. Ethan sighed. It was going to be another sweltering day, and there was no worse place to spend a day like that than a sticky, hellishly ventilated Emergency Department. He was glad that Lily only had two more shifts to see out before her maternity leave started.

The back door was open, which was a little strange when he still hadn't found Lily. Their house wasn't big, so it was strange not to have seen her yet. A tiny jolt of fear attacked him: maybe she was in labour already and he should have checked upstairs more diligently.

"Lily?" he called, half into the garden and half back into the house. He heard a sleepy, discontented sound from the living room.

"Here. I'm okay." Lily felt it necessary to add that last part: while it was still too early, it wasn't completely out of the question for the baby to be coming. Which she wasn't, thank goodness.

"No baby yet?" Ethan said, coming over to his wife. She was lying on the sofa with her feet slightly raised, still dressed in her pyjamas and dressing gown. The dressing gown was undone because of the heat, but it wouldn't close these days anyway on account of the baby due next month.

"No baby," Lily reassured. "Stop panicking."

"Alright." Ethan took a breath and his heart rate slowed back to near-normal. "I didn't notice you here, I walked straight through, but you were so quiet — I didn't wake you, did I?"

"No, definitely not," Lily replied, squeezing her eyes shut. "I wish. I barely slept last night anyway, but I came down a little while ago, thinking I'd just get a glass of water and then go and check on Will. But I barely got down the stairs, I was worried I would have woken __you__ up, actually." She opened her eyes cautiously, and saw Ethan's worried expression. "I'll be __fine,__ " she said firmly. "I'm sure it's the heat, or just being pregnant, but I was so dizzy. It's easing a little, but I don't trust myself to stay upright just yet. Truth be told, I didn't hear you walk through, I was concentrating so hard on not feeling terrible."

"Are you sure you'll be okay today? I can get Will up and dressed if that'll make it easier for you."

"I will be alright. But that would be lovely, thank you."

Ethan leaned down to kiss her.

"Your tiny dancer has been kicking so much, too — give me your hand?" When Ethan held out his hand to her, she took it and rested it gently on her bump, guiding his fingers. "Can you feel, her back is __there__ , and her head is up here. She's still the wrong the way up." Her face changing to an expression of worry, Lily put her other hand over Ethan's, and he added his other hand too. They were a little pile of hands on their baby girl.

"There's still plenty of time for her to turn, Lily. Try not to worry too much over it. Oh!"

Lily smiled: Ethan's face lit up as the baby shifted and kicked under his touch.

* * *

That evening, Ethan came home to a quiet house. But as he walked through to the kitchen and dropped his things on the table, he saw that the back door was still open. Lily and Will were in the garden, both in the paddling pool he had inflated two days ago. It made him so happy to see them like this: both identically sun-kissed, Will in his element with all his bath toys in the pool and Lily evidently enjoying the respite of the cool water. Ethan went out into the garden and scooped his son up out of the pool, spinning him gently around before hugging him close.

"Have you had a good day, William?" he asked rhetorically. There was no question, really; his son's little smile said it all. Ethan thought for a moment, then, still dressed in his tee-shirt and shorts, he clumsily took off his shoes with no hands, and got into the pool alongside his son, sitting in the water despite Lily's laughter.

" _ _What__ are you doing?" she asked him, although it was very clear what he was doing.

"I'm recovering from a long shift in a department that felt like we were working on the surface of the sun," Ethan replied, splashing delicately with both hands so that he could catch both his wife and his little boy at the same time.

Lily cringed. "Is it that bad?" She was already slightly dreading the two shifts she had left in the ED.

Ethan backtracked. "No, it wasn't __that__ bad. Resus was alright, surprisingly. They've put extra AC units in there until this heatwave lets up a bit. It's the strangest thing in the department at the moment, everyone has resorted to wearing scrubs. I can't tell you how strange it was to see all the consultants dressed down today! Mrs Beauchamp is the last one standing, of course, refusing to bow down to something as simple as the weather."

Lily smiled. "No surprises there, then."

"We've all had an email through, too, about heatwave protocol; the Met Office has got most of the country on Level 3 alert until the middle of next week. Holby's next, apparently." His expression soured a little, but he blinked and remembered who he was talking to. He reached out for Lily's hand. "I know you love the ED, but you're lucky you've only got two shifts left. They're already talking about a massive influx of patients at the weekend, from the festival. Heat exhaustion, excessive alcohol consumption…"

"Blatant stupidity, too, probably," Lily added. "But after Friday afternoon I will be well out of the way, luckily."

"I'm glad. You know what always happens after that festival, and I wouldn't want you getting caught in the middle of it right now."

"Normally," Lily said, "I would protest and tell you that I am not fragile and do not need protecting. But," she added, not really telling him off, "I will forgive you, since in this heat I feel precisely that way."

It was so unusual for Lily to admit any kind of weakness, that it felt strange for her to even say the words. She let go of Ethan's hand and rested both of her arms around her bump, already a little worried about what tomorrow would bring.

* * *

When Lily and Ethan walked across the stretch of tarmac before the ED, the next morning, it was 7.50am and already twenty-two degrees. Their shadow stretched out in front of them: a single shape thanks to their linked hands.

Walking into the department, they were greeted by a wall of warm, stuffy air. Lily's immediate thought was that the stifling atmosphere was unpleasantly claustrophobic. She didn't have time to dwell on it, however, because they had been inside for less than a minute when Zoe came over to them.

"Morning Ethan, Lily," she said. And then, specifically to Lily, "how are you today?"

Lily shrugged. "Fine, I think. I'm on the final stretch now, anyway!"

"Good, good," Zoe replied, although Lily could detect that the consultant's mind was not entirely on the conversation at hand. "Connie wants to see everyone, in the staffroom, soon as. You can change afterwards; I think she wants to get this over with."

Lily didn't doubt that Zoe's concentration would be as unrivalled as ever when she was presented with a patient, but there was no denying that she was distracted from everything else. Things had gone desperately south between her and Max: these days they weren't even speaking, which had been the case for some time. Lily knew that Zoe was unhappy, although she didn't like to talk about it. But a little of her 'spark' was missing, and it was no great act of deduction to work out why.

* * *

Even after Ethan's description of the heatwave-struck ED, it still came as something of a surprise to see that everyone had donned scrubs in the warm weather. When Mrs Beauchamp walked into the staffroom in a pair of light blue scrubs, it was difficult for Lily not to allow herself to show the surprise she felt, on her face. Although, she admitted, she wouldn't like to be dealing with the stress of the department in this heat, while wearing restrictingly smart clothes. There had been a tiny breeze, or at least a movement of air, when the door had opened and swung shut again. But when the door was closed, the air became stuffy very quickly, and Lily hoped that the meeting would not last long because she was nowhere near anywhere that she might be able to sit, if the suffocating air became too much. As the Clinical Lead began to speak, Lily noticed that she had never heard her sound so motherly.

"I won't keep you long, I know you'd all rather be out there, not least because it's very warm in here! But I just need to run through a few things, it's heatwave protocol, unfortunately. It's going to be the hottest day of the year so far —"

"— It doesn't quite have the same gravitas, now, does it?"

Lily turned her head a little, but she already knew exactly whose whisper was in her ear. She disguised a small smile.

"The last __four__ days have also been __the hottest day of the year so far,__ " Dylan said, in a voice that was nothing more or less than a vocal roll of the eyes.

"Obviously, we're all here for the patients, but when conditions are like this, I want you all to look out for yourselves, too, and each other. I know we're all adults here, but make sure that you're drinking enough water, and take a break if you need it. I'd like to avoid admitting any of the ED staff as patients, if I can help it." There was a collective rumble of amusement. "Alright, that's everything, thank you, everyone."

While people began to file out, Connie kept Lily behind. She took a seat on the sofas and gestured for the registrar to follow suit, knowing that Lily would be the last person to buckle and request for herself that they sit. Lily was still so slight, save for the still-growing bump on her front, and looked exhausted. She sat down carefully, cringing slightly.

"Everything alright?" Connie asked.

"Yes, everything is fine. I thought it might be a little easier the second time around, but it doesn't seem to be." She rubbed her belly where her daughter was kicking again, willing her to stop for a while.

"I'm sure it __would__ have been easier, were it not for it being so hot!"

"Perhaps, yes. Only one more shift after this one, though. I'll be fine. I'll get there."

Connie wondered whether Lily was telling the truth, or bending it slightly to live up to her character trait of not wanting any trouble. "I know that I have a duty of care to everyone, in this weather, but first and foremost I've got to look out for you and your baby. I can't imagine anyone is coping brilliantly in this heat, but I'm very concerned for you, today. If you're not feeling good, please don't keep it to yourself. Please," she repeated, hoping to impress upon Lily the importance of this request.  
Lily's cheeks warmed. She had far too much of a track record of not letting people know when she was unwell. But now there was a greater motivation, she would refuse to be so quiet, if it came to it.

"I don't want you in resus," Connie added.

"I think that's fair, it's not like I'd be much help!" But inside, Lily was thinking about what Ethan had told her last night, about resus being the coolest place in the department. While she knew practically that she would be no use to anybody in resus, she had banked on that being a safe haven away from the oppressive temperature.

* * *

Ethan emerged from the gents' toilets, dressed in his scrubs, as Lily was heading into the ladies' with hers.

"I'll only be a minute," she said.

It was nearly ten minutes before she came out, with faint tear tracks under her eyes.

"Hey, what's the matter?" he said at once, putting his hands on the tops of her arms and looking into her unhappy eyes.

"Just my scrubs, that's all. Nothing, really, I'm just tired and… hormonal," she said, whispering the last word and showing her embarrassment for exhibiting emotion. She took a deep breath and wiped under her eyes. "These scrubs fit me fine, last week." Lily pulled at the hem of her top anxiously and rubbed her back. "I'm sure she's shifted position, just to spite me and make this awkward!"

"You look fine," Ethan reassured her. "Absolutely fabulous, in my book. Trust me, no-one is going to see any change in you."

Lily folded her arms across her chest with some difficulty. "Let me guess, am I 'glowing'? If I hear one more person tell me that I am glowing, I don't know what I'm going to do!"

"Maybe you should listen to them, then." It was Zoe speaking now: she had been passing with an enormous heap of files balanced in her arms and was eager to build Lily's confidence a little, if she could. Just because Zoe herself was feeling overwhelmingly negative, it did not mean that other people should too.

Lily's face relaxed a little, although she did not feel good enough to smile at her friend. She only disliked the assessment of 'glowing' when it was a platitude, empty words from a stranger. When it was well-meant by someone who cared about her, that was different story. "Sure?"

"I've never been more sure about anything, Lily. Believe me, I've seen a lot of pregnant women in my time, and not all of them look as good as you do."

* * *

It really was unpleasantly warm in the ED. Lily walked back out towards reception after discharging her patient in cubicles, and was relieved that there was a very slight breeze out there. She sat down on a free chair in the waiting area, running a hand across the back of her neck, where there was a light sheen of sweat from her hair sitting against her skin.

The television screen was tuned to the BBC news channel, as always. Today there was just rolling coverage of the havoc being wreaked by the heatwave.

 _"_ _ _Most counties in the UK are now operating under a level 3 heatwave alert. This is issued when temperatures have exceeded thirty degrees during the day and fifteen degrees at night, for at least two days. It can have serious repercussions for transport networks, businesses and the NHS. Many NHS trusts have now instated major heatwave protocols, which can change the way Accident and Emergency departments and other wards operate and admit patients."__

There followed a report on the problems Transport for London had had during the morning rush, with rising temperatures on Tube lines and rising numbers of complaints from commuters.

Lily stopped listening, and adjusted the way she was sitting. If she had been able, she probably would have leaned down over her knees and waited for the weariness of the heat to pass. As it stood, she had to be content with staying upright, although she did close her eyes momentarily. There was a hand on her shoulder nearly instantly. Ethan's hand: she knew from the way he lightly pressed his fingertips onto her shoulder.

"I know you hate always being asked," he began, walking around so he was in front of her, "but are you okay?"

"I just needed a minute to sit down, that's all."

"Did you work flat out from the end of that meeting, to now?" He almost knew the answer already, but he didn't want it to be true.

Lily protested straight away. "It was only a couple of hours, it wasn't __long!__ "

"Long enough, when your due date is next month and it's twenty six degrees indoors. Two hours in this heat and _I'm_ done in, never mind you!"

Lily rolled her eyes. "I'm fine, Ethan."

"Not dizzy again, are you?"

"No." Not much. She stood up uncertainly, but she was steady, luckily. "I'm going to get a bottle of water, and then find somewhere cool to sit."

"You'll be hard pressed for both of those: the vending machine's refrigeration isn't working, and the only cool place left is the top end of resus."

Lily sighed impatiently. "Fine, then I will get some tap water and just sit still for a while."

* * *

In the knowledge that she had precious little time left in the ED before she left to have her baby, Lily threw herself into work. Despite the questionable working conditions, it was an enjoyable afternoon. She wasn't allowed in resus, so everything was a little less high-octane and a little slower-paced. Only a little. She tried hard not to let it wind her up, the number of times she'd been asked when she was due, or whether she knew what she was having. It was autopilot now: July 7th and a little girl.

* * *

"Where's Ethan?" Lily asked Dylan, having checked the usual places and not seen her husband once. They were standing near cubicles, which were packed with sporting injuries, dehydrated patients and some of the most horrific sunburn either of them had ever seen in their lives. Lily was wringing her hands and feeling a little worse for wear.

Dylan glanced nervously at her bump before meeting her eyes, a flash of panic in his own. "You're not—"

"No!" She relaxed a little, and laughed. "God, no, Dylan. I know my reputation precedes me, but you can rest easy knowing that I would make it known if I'd gone into labour in the middle of the ED! I just couldn't find him, that's all."

Dylan's shoulders dropped as he visibly relaxed. "Good, I'm glad you wouldn't keep that one quiet! I believe Ethan's been sent on a mercy mission by Connie — in the absence of a cold vending machine, she's sent him out to the nearest shop for as many bottles of refrigerated water as he can carry."

Lily smiled. "Okay, as long as he has not just disappeared off the face of the earth."

"I don't think there's any basis for that particular worry," Dylan said in his peculiar mix of acidity and kindness.

Lily lifted her arms and untied her hair to retie it again in a high, neat bun. This, however, was a mistake. She'd felt a little light-headed anyway, but this simple action had made it about ten times worse.

Dylan frowned. "I hope you don't mind me saying, but you don't look too well." This was an understatement: she'd all of a sudden turned very pale. Already, he was working out where the nearest chair was, and how he would catch her if there wasn't time for a chair and she passed out before he could do anything.

"Of course I mind," Lily said, looking down in embarrassment. "But I will forgive you, since you're absolutely correct."

He sighed. "Keep talking, Lily, what's the matter?"

"I - I'll be fine, it's just the heat. It happened yesterday and it passed, I'm just dizzy."

"How dizzy, exactly?"

Lily looked around, working out where she would be able to sit down. "Enough to think —" She started seeing stars, and reconsidered. "Actually, no, I need to sit down, __now.__ " Her eyes darted about and in the absence of anywhere to sit, she stepped backwards and leaned against the wall.

Dylan mentally cursed the fact that there was not a single cubicle free. He stepped closer to Lily, while calling over his shoulder, "Can I get a chair, or something, please?!" Lily was fading, fast, but to Dylan's great relief, Duffy came out of the nurses' station, dragging a desk chair on wheels behind her.

Duffy smiled kindly, expertly masking any concern that she might have felt. "Alright?" she asked when Lily had sat down. "Anything I can do?"

Lily shook her head and momentarily covered her face with her hands. She sighed. "No, it's okay. Thank you, Duffy. Sorry, I'm probably just a little dehydrated; I'll be alright I'm sure."

"You've nothing to apologise for! The only thing any one of us is bothered by, is whether you and baby are okay." Duffy looked at Lily's face: the young woman was still pale but there were little beads of sweat at her temples. She gave Lily a knowing look. "If you need to go somewhere cool, there's a ceiling fan in the on-call room, don't forget."

Lily nodded. "Thank you."

* * *

The on-call room was gloriously cold in comparison to the rest of the department. Although Lily still felt under par, she couldn't deny that she felt better in a room which wasn't so stifling. Still dizzy, she sat on the edge of the bed and tried to ignore the way the room seemed to be swimming around her.

"You're still not good?" Dylan was standing just inside the door, hands on his hips.

Lily shrugged. "Like I said, it happened yesterday too, but it did pass eventually."

"Were you planning on telling __anybody__ that you were unwell yesterday?" Dylan asked drily. "And Ethan doesn't count; when he's not actually here, his knowledge is no good to anybody." He stopped. There was no point in being sharp with her. It wouldn't change anything. He walked over to the bed and stacked the pillows into one pile. "Right, as much as you dislike being told what to do when it compromises your independence," he began sympathetically, "I'm going to pull rank. I want you to lie down with your feet propped up, until you feel less like you're going to faint."

Lily shuffled back so she was fully on the bed, and took the pillows she was offered, setting them down so she could do as she was told.

"Now, will you be alright for a few minutes?"

"I will be fine. Not as if I'm going to be in a rush or any fit state to go anywhere, is it? I'd be ambushed the moment I stepped out of that door!"

"True," Dylan admitted. "You have an entire department rooting for you, and at least half a one looking out for you."

Lily half-smiled. "And let me guess, you can't decide whether that's lucky or utterly repulsive."

Dylan let out a short sigh, rolling his eyes in amusement.

* * *

He was nearly back at the on-call room when he heard a distant chorus of whoops and cheers. Evidently, Ethan had returned with the water and was being hailed (probably rightfully) as the hero of the hour. Dylan pushed the door open and was relieved that Lily had followed his instructions. She was still lying back on the bed, although now she was absent-mindedly stroking her fingertips across her swollen stomach. He hardly dared believe that she may finally have relaxed into being pregnant and forgotten at least some of her self-consciousness.

"Feeling better yet?" he asked her as he crossed the room. Something dropped out of his pocket and hit the ground with a small thud, but he left it there: he could pick it up later.

"A little," Lily replied. She attempted to sit up, with some difficulty.

Dylan tutted. "Come here." He put down what he had brought back for her and held out his hand to help her up.

Lily was reminded of their first encounter in this room, years ago. She had accidentally found him having a panic attack and had stayed with him until it was over. Their friendship had grown from that single, chance moment in time. He had helped her up then, too; it hadn't been much after her accident and she had not yet been entirely proficient with her prosthetic foot.

Her eyes widened when she saw what he had brought.

"How did you get ice chips, on a day like today?" she asked happily. "Are they begged, borrowed or stolen?"

Dylan just passed her the bowl and a plastic spoon, not trusting himself not to come out with something altogether __too__ sarcastic. "You'd be surprised what you can achieve, with a casual mention of a thirty-five-week pregnant doctor in a twenty-nine-degree emergency department."

Lily was smiling inside now too. She knew full well that it would not have been a 'casual mention' at all. "Thirty six," she corrected him. "And a half," she added, conscience-stricken and unable to meet his eyes.

He let out a sharp sigh and coupled it with a disbelieving expression. "Good grief." It was a good thing tomorrow was her last day. He tried not to think about the forecast for tomorrow, a good couple of degrees hotter again. "I thought the ice would solve two problems at once. It's cold and it'll hydrate you a bit."

"Thank you, Dylan."

She crunched a spoonful of ice appreciatively. A second later, she winced in response to the sharp shifting of a tiny elbow.

"Ouch," she said reflexively.

Despite her cautious laugh afterwards, Dylan still flinched, looking worried. Lily took one look at his face and laughed genuinely.

"My goodness, you are so jumpy!"

"Yes, I am," Dylan said, standing by his reaction until the last. "You're my friend, and you're very close to your due date! Forgive me for twitching, every time you say 'ouch'."

Lily looked down at her bump. "She's only doing that to protest against the ice, that's all. And," she added ruefully, "I probably gave her a shock, earlier, getting so close to fainting."

"Alright," Dylan conceded. "If you're sure."

"I'm sure. I have done this before!" She paused. "Do you know my favourite thing, at the moment? Both you and Ethan tell me off, daily, for worrying too much, but you're both the very worst for jumping to conclusions."

Dylan decided it would be unwise to argue that perhaps neither he nor Ethan could be held accountable forthis, since in the past Lily had hidden first appendicitis and then a miscarriage from the entire department.

* * *

There came a knock at the door, and a second later, Ethan entered the room. He was balancing three bottles of water, so cold that condensation collected on the outside of the plastic. Keeping one for himself, he handed a bottle each to Dylan and Lily. Dylan unscrewed the cap of his bottle and drank half of the water straight away.

"Thank you, Ethan. I needed that."

"Any time. Now, Lily, what happened? I got half of the story from Duffy, but I'd like the rest, please. I was gone for half an hour, maximum, and I come back to find out you've been pulled from the shift!" He took a seat on his wife's other side and put an arm around her.

Lily bit her lip. She should have expected as much, but she was still slightly shocked to hear that she had really been taken off the shift due to her ill-health. "It was only the same as yesterday. I didn't think it would happen again, but it came on so quickly; I didn't really have a lot of choice in the matter."

"That much is obvious," Dylan put in, standing up. "I think I'll be needed out there, I'll see you two later. Be careful, Lily."

"I will," she said, in a slightly mocking tone.

Retracing his original path across the room, Dylan stopped to pick up what he had dropped earlier. It had rolled to the foot of the bed, thankfully not under it. "Watch it, or I'll withhold these," he said darkly, holding up a tube of Smarties. "I thought you probably needed the sugar."

Lily's expression lightened innocently. "That's really kind of you, thank you." She thought a little. "And I will try not to speak to you with the same tone you adopt for me, and everyone else."

"I suppose that's about as much as I deserve," Dylan said. He threw the tube of Smarties to Lily, which she caught effortlessly with one hand. "They might be a bit melted, they were from that vending machine that gave us all the grief."

"You're forgiven," Lily replied with a smile. "See you later."

* * *

Dylan had been out in the main thoroughfare of the ED for perhaps three minutes, when he was summoned to Connie's office. It didn't surprise him in the least: she would want to know what had happened to Lily, and no doubt this conversation would have a large bearing on whether Lily would be able to return for the ED for her final shift, tomorrow. He knew exactly what he had to do.

"How is she?" Connie said, cutting straight to the chase.

"She's a little better now," he replied honestly. He omitted to mention that ice chips and melted Smarties had had rather a lot to do with it.

"So, what happened?" the Clinical Lead pressed on.

"This god-awful heatwave __happened__. She came over very dizzy, potentially quite dehydrated. I mean, we are all a little dehydrated today, I think, but she's not in any condition to let it get as far as she did. Apparently the same happened yesterday, on her day off…"

Connie sighed, and put her head in her hands momentarily, folding in worry over her desk. "Why didn't she tell anyone?"

"Is that a serious question?" Dylan raised his eyebrows quizzically. "She didn't tell anyone because she's Lily. That's just how she works, isn't it?"

"I suppose you're right. Should I be letting her back to work tomorrow?" Connie trusted Dylan's judgement: he was Lily's friend first, but she knew he had the ability to distance himself to make a fair judgement.

Dylan folded his arms, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "Obviously I want to argue from my position as her friend, but in my __professional__ opinion, she's thirty six and a half weeks and I just don't think she should be here. We have a duty of care and a line has to be drawn."

"I quite agree. Thank you, Dylan." Connie wrote something down on a memo pad by her computer, then looked back at him. "If the weather conditions were any different to the way they are, it would be a different story."

"Well, obviously."

At that moment, Charlie knocked on the office door and came in. "Adult trauma call, car vs pedestrian RTC. ETA five minutes. The pedestrian's worst off, of course, but the driver and passenger aren't too good either. We need both of you in resus, ideally."

"Okay Charlie, we're coming out now. Thank you for letting us know." Connie slipped back into perfectly professional leadership in a single breath. It was a completely different side of her caring nature.

* * *

Lily was disappointed, but knew it was the right thing, to not come into work the next day. She agreed with everything that Mrs Beauchamp said, even though she wished it would have been possible to work right up to the end, as planned.

"It's not safe for you to keep working while we're still in a heatwave that hasn't even peaked yet," Connie explained, wishing that she could erase Lily's crestfallen face from her memory.

"I do appreciate that," Lily said. "I understand. I just wanted to be normal, and do things normally, like anyone else would."

"Believe me, if I gave out the option to duck out of the ED in this weather, I think you'd find it the most normal thing in the world. Take this time to relax, and look after yourself."

Lily nodded. "Yes. For my baby." The baby who, at that moment, gave her another dig, simultaneously with an elbow and a foot. Lily felt deeply affectionate towards her baby, but goodness, it was hard to keep that up sometimes.

"Of course, for your baby. But Lily, for you, too. I know how blinkering it is, to have a baby on the way, but every once in a while, you ought to be your own first priority."

* * *

Ethan took a short break in order to drive Lily home. As they walked across the car park, Lily paused and looked back at the hospital.

"Next time we leave that hospital together, it'll be with our baby girl," she said, her voice little more than a whisper. Instinctively, she touched her bump and then felt such a rush of love when her daughter responded by pushing back with some tiny part of her body.

"I know," Ethan replied nervously. "It's exciting, and I can't wait to meet her at last, but I don't — I mean, it's just…"

"Gibberish as that was, I think I know what you mean. It's exciting, but it's scary too. I know I must have felt the same before we had Will, but I think my brain has conveniently 'forgotten' the fear and anticipatory nerves!"

Ethan slipped his hand around Lily's and squeezed it, leading her back to the car. Yes, it was scary. But they were just about to start a new adventure, and they were just about ready.


End file.
